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In case you missed it, TVLine reported that Christie will play Ryan Kane, the bad guy who killed a couple of people and would now like to add two witnesses and Sheriff Helen Torrance (Julianne Nicholson) to that list. It’s amusing because USA is also currently running new episodes of Motive, in which Christie is on the right side of the law portraying Sergeant Mark Cross.

It’s also one of those castings that’s worth throwing some confetti over, because Christie has been deserving of a top-shelf role for awhile now.

He shook up Motive when he joined the CTV crime drama’s cast in season 2, but once the subplot about his history with Angie Flynn (Kristin Lehman) was resolved in the season finale, the show sort of ran out of things to do with him. In season 3, Cross reverted back to being the typical supervisor who generally only appeared in a scene or two each episode, and it was no surprise when he wasn’t mentioned in the press release for season 4.

He’s had some recurring guest arcs — as Severide’s old buddy Scott Rice on Chicago Fire, and Abby’s love interest Will on Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce — but since Alphas ended four years ago, it’s seemed like the TV world has just been waiting to give him something to really sink his teeth into.

Christie may not be a household name, but he falls into the category of those many actors who deserve to be. He finds a way to tee up something awesome all the time, even if he doesn’t have a large amount of screen time or the material itself just isn’t there. He’s like the duct tape of actors: This guy can solve everything.

Motive was a great get for him because it put him in the middle of a talented ensemble with plenty to play off of. When Cross was being utilized, he was easily the most interesting boss on any cop show, because he had his own story and Christie’s boatload of charisma. The character was in office politics, flashbacks and a subplot that couldn’t have been any more perfect, because it featured Christie’s former Alphas costar Laura Mennell. Cross in season 2 enabled Christie to play a little bit of everything, and it’s a shame that didn’t last.

But let’s go back even further. There’s a Hallmark Channel TV movie called The Color of Rain that just might feature the best performance of Christie’s career. It’s an incredibly emotional true story about a couple who find love together after the deaths of their respective spouses, and when I say incredibly emotional, I mean that you’ll be sobbing into your Kleenex within the first 15 minutes. Christie and Lacey Chabert do a beautiful job of bringing both the tragedy and the positivity within the story to light, and they make the movie timeless.

And then there was Alphas, where Cameron got kicked a lot when he was down. His relationship with Nina, who was excellently played by Mennell, was more dysfunctional than an episode of Maury. But when you put two strong actors together and give them plotlines like being suckered by a crazy cult leader, great things happen. It didn’t matter that he had superpowers; Cameron just wanted to get the girl, raise his son, and live happily ever after — and every step of the way, Christie kept us in his head and on the journey of this character who went through so much and still survived.

All of this is not to say that his recurring gigs like Chicago Fire and Girlfriends’ Guide haven’t had merit — but this is a guy who needs to be a series regular. He’s proven that he’s at his best when he has that main-cast workload to take on, and his talent is the kind that we need in front of us every week.

Christie is also a quality leading man off-camera. Having had the pleasure of interviewing a few of his costars over the years, I can say that all of them emphasized how much they enjoyed working with him, saying that he’s one of the nicest people out there. People like him are the ones who should be leading TV shows because they’ve earned it in every respect. The good guys deserve to finish first — and Warren Christie is definitely a good guy.

That means it’ll probably be weird to see him killing people in Eyewitness, which premieres later this year on USA. It feels like he should be busting villains rather than being one. But even playing the other side of law, he’s going to knock the performance out of the park. Christie’s spent so long nailing characters and proving himself, and with this new role he finally has the chance to show us everything. Now he’s going to teach us a few things — not just that he can play the serial killer, but that he’s a series star, which is exactly what he should be.

Expression Of JoyThe Brady Bunch: Groovy! The Bradys: Ritual hugging Married…With Children: ”Oh, great.” Thirtysomething: ”Of course I’m happy for you. Really. But what about me? Why does it always have to be about you? The Flintstones: ”Yabba-dabba doo

Expression Of Rage

The Brady Bunch: ”Hmmm…” The Bradys: ”If you back away from something you really want, then you’re a quitter!” (the angriest any Brady has ever been) Married…With Children: ”Aaagh, God, take me from this miserable life!” Thirtysomething: ”I’m not angry, OK?” The Flintstones: ”Willllmaaaa!”

Typical ProblemThe Brady Bunch: Marcia and her rival both want to be the prom queen. The Bradys: Bobby gets paralyzed. Married…With Children: Al doesn’t buy his family Christmas presents. Thirtysomething: Nancy gets cancer. The Flintstones: Fred and Barney are staying out too late.

Typical SolutionThe Brady Bunch: The prom committee decides to have two queens. The Bradys: Bobby gets married. Married…With Children: They hate him. Thirtysomething: If only we knew… The Flintstones: Wilma and Betty decide to follow them.

Attitude Toward SexThe Brady Bunch: Never heard of it The Bradys: Omigod — even Cindy does it! Married…With Children: Peg: Yes. Al: No. Thirtysomething: They didn’t get all those kids by accident. The Flintstones: Prehistoric

How Spouses FightThe Brady Bunch: They don’t. The Bradys: Infrequently, but it happens Married…With Children: Tooth and nail Thirtysomething: They stop talking The Flintstones: Fred and Barney go bowling while Wilma and Betty max out their charge cards.

How Kids Get Into TroubleThe Brady Bunch: Greg takes a puff of a cigarette. The Bradys: Carol’s grandson steals her business cards and sticks them in the spokes of Bobby’s wheelchair. Married…With Children: By committing felonies Thirtysomething: Ethan plays with a forbidden toy rocket. The Flintstones: They don’t.

How They’re Punished

The Brady Bunch: ”It’s not what you did, honey — it’s that you couldn’t come to us.” The Bradys ”Next time, ask.” Married…With Children: By the authorities Thirtysomething: It blows up in his face. The Flintstones: They’re not.

What Family Does For FunThe Brady Bunch: Takes special three-part vacations to Hawaii and the Grand Canyon The Bradys: Has flashbacks Married…With Children: Exchanges insults Thirtysomething: Talks The Flintstones: Attends showings of The Monster at the Bedrock Drive-In

Unsolved MysteriesThe Brady Bunch: How exactly did Carol’s first husband and Mike’s first wife die? The Bradys: What’s with Marcia’s new face and Bobby’s blonde hair Married…With Children: What kind of hair spray does Peg use? Thirtysomething: Why did Nancy take Elliot back? What do Gary and Susanna see in each other? The Flintstones: How does Barney’s shirt stay on if he has no shoulders? Where do Fred and Wilma plug in their TV?

Worst BehaviorThe Brady Bunch: The Brady children once made Alice feel under-appreciated.

Best Reason To WatchThe Brady Bunch: This is what life should be. The Bradys: They’re all grown-ups now! Married…With Children: Terry Rakolta hates it. Thirtysomething (Tie) This is your life. This isn’t your life. The Flintstones: This is what life might have been.

Best Reason Not To WatchThe Brady Bunch: Blurred vision from rerun overdoses. The Bradys: You’re all grown-ups now. Married…With Children: She has a point. Thirtysomething: After a while, you think it’s real. The Flintstones: The Simpsons